A Gengar under the ownership of [[Hearthome City]]'s [[Gym Leader]] [[Fantina]] appeared in a flashback in ''[[DP093|Playing the Leveling Field!]]'', and appeared in ''[[DP102|A Shield with a Twist]]'' where it was defeated by [[Ash's Buizel]].

A Gengar under the ownership of [[Hearthome City]]'s [[Gym Leader]] [[Fantina]] appeared in a flashback in ''[[DP093|Playing the Leveling Field!]]'', and appeared in ''[[DP102|A Shield with a Twist]]'' where it was defeated by [[Ash's Buizel]].

Biology

Physiology

Gengar is dark purple in color and roundish in shape. Gengar's hands now connect to the rest of its body and it has a pair of legs and a short, pointed tail. Gengar's eyes are now red, its back has a spiny appearance, and its mouth is usually curled into a sinister grin.

Gender differences

None.

Special abilities

Gengar have the ability to hide perfectly in the shadow of any object, granting it exceptional stealth. However, Gengar's body acts as a heat sink; its presence cools the temperature of the surrounding area by nearly 10°F, because it took the warmth. In addition, Gengar possesses the ability to fly through the air, as demonstrated by Morty's Gengar. Since Gengar is a fully evolved Pokémon, it can use Hyper Beam and Giga Impact.

Behavior

Gengar are very mischievous, and at times, malicious. They enjoy playing practical jokes, such as pretending to be one's shadow, then behaving erratically. When the quarry notices, the Gengar takes delight in its victim's terror. However, Gengar have been known to be loyal to Trainers that treat them well; the smile is less mischievous and friendlier in this case. Gengar may also cast curses.

Habitat

Gengar live in shadows of rooms, caves, and dark places where shadows form, especially in urban areas such as cities and back alleys but only during the night. Gengar are also known to live in mountains. It normally shares its range with Gastly and Haunter, but reports of wild Gengar are not unheard of.

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

In Pokémon Adventures, Agatha has two Gengar on her team, and many in her Ghost-type army. One of them was used to attack Blue and Koga from the shadows, draining the latter's life force as it possessed his shadow. Eventually, it was taken down when Koga used the tail that the old woman's Arbok bit off his own to distract it long enough for Blue's Porygon to deal the finishing blow.

Another Gengar was seen at the beginning of the FireRed and LeafGreen saga in Volume 23. It was used by a kid from Pallet Town in an attempt to capture a Nidorino, thus replicating the opening sequence of the Generation I video games (and their remakes).

Pokédex entries

In the TCG

Game data

NPC appearances

Pokémon Pinball: A Gengar appears in a bonus stage accessible from the Red Table. Once the player has knocked out the three Gastly and the pair of Haunter, a Gengar that appears must be defeated to win.

Origin

Name origin

Gengar and Gangar are possibly a shortening of doppelgänger, a double of a person, which is fitting for a Pokémon with a habit of pretending to be a person's shadow. The kanji 幻 maboroshi can also be read as gen and is used in words meaning phantom or illusion. There is also a striking pronunciation similarity to the Danish word genganger.